Besides it was soooo 20th Century

Folks: (FYI)

School will be more than just auto shop

Web-posted Jan 7, 2005
By DAVE GROVES

Of The Daily Oakland Press

A group of local educators and state industry advocates will sign documents Wednesday that could change the way many area youths look at high school.

Rather than a place where they prepare to make a career choice, high school might become a place where students pursue a career they've already chosen.

Lawrence Technological University, Ferndale Public Schools and Michigan Future Inc. have worked together to create University High School - a schools-of-choice facility that will welcome up to 500 students interested in automotive and high-tech industry careers.

"Our whole effort has been trying to help Michigan make the transition from the industrial age to the information age," said Lou Glazer, president of the nonprofit, Ann Arbor-based Michigan Future Inc.

"We're all very excited about this," he added. "It's meeting the notion of an integrated high school and higher education experience geared toward the new economy."

Steve Ragan, vice president for university advancement at Lawrence Tech, said the kind of partnership the university is creating with Ferndale schools is unique.

University High School will be overseen by a management committee comprised of automotive industry leaders and Lawrence Tech and Ferndale Public Schools educators.

Teachers will use a hands-on approach to math, science, language arts and social studies lessons. The curriculum will highlight how course content is applied in engineering, design, planning, manufacturing, purchasing, logistics, marketing, sales and service careers.

"As kids go through this program, they'll always be thinking about career opportunities in the auto industry or in high tech," said Gary Meier, superintendent of the Ferndale schools. "We want the kids to have as many practical experiences as possible."

Michigan Future Inc. is offering more than $1.1 million in seed money to support school operations in the first two years.

University High School is expected to open its doors to ninth- and 10th-graders this fall. The facility will be in a presently unoccupied Ferndale Public Schools building, though which building is yet to be determined.

Opportunities to obtain college credit while in high school will be available, and students successful in the program will be guaranteed admission to Lawrence Tech.

Meanwhile, students will have access to an array of traditional noncore content courses such as foreign language, music and fine arts.

Ragan said that because Lawrence Tech will play a central role in shaping its curriculum, University High School could become the private university's largest feeder school.

Michigan's schools of choice program allows students to apply their state school funding allowance to any public school accepting students outside its district boundaries. University High School will be open to all Oakland County students, as well as those in neighboring counties.

Program partners acknowledge that school operating costs likely will exceed student enrollment revenues. These will range between $6,700 and $12,000 per pupil, per year depending on each student's home district allowance.

Still, University High School representatives are confident that a successful program will attract funding through industry sponsorship, educational foundations and other sources.

"If this works, and we're confident it will, we believe there will be many, many funders out there who'll want to be part of this kind of initiative," Meier said.

Ferndale schools has distributed thousands of postcards announcing creation of the school to area families with 12- to 14-year-old students. Additional marketing is planned in the near future.

"We're already getting parent inquiries about this, so I think it's going to generate a lot of interest," Meier said.